Quote of the day by Ambrose Bierce: 'Love is a temporary insanity that is curable by marriage...' - A century old life lesson on why romance does not remain the same after marriage

Some quotes about love are warm and hopeful, while others look at relationships in a way that is much less sentimental. Ambrose Bierce belonged firmly to the second category. The American journalist, satirist and short-story writer became known for his sharp observations about people, society and human behaviour, often finding humour in things that others preferred to take seriously. One of his best-known definitions of love takes that approach in just a few words: “Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage.”

The line remains widely remembered because it turns the usual idea of romantic love upside down. Instead of presenting love as something beautiful that naturally leads to a happy relationship, Bierce describes it as a kind of temporary condition. His choice of the word “insanity” makes the joke deliberately extreme, while the reference to marriage gives the definition its final twist.

Quote of the day: What does Ambrose Bierce mean

“Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage.” - Ambrose Bierce


At its simplest, the quote is Bierce making fun of the way people behave when they fall in love. Someone who is deeply attracted to another person may overlook their faults, act differently from usual and make decisions based more on emotion than careful thinking. Bierce exaggerates this behaviour by calling it “insanity”. He was not offering a medical definition of love. The whole point was to make a cynical joke about how powerful romantic feelings can be.

The second half of the sentence makes the joke sharper. Bierce says this supposed “temporary insanity” is “curable by marriage”. In other words, the excitement and idealisation that can surround romance may look very different once two people have to deal with ordinary married life, responsibilities and each other’s habits. It is an old-fashioned joke, and Bierce clearly pushes the idea to an extreme, but that is also why the line has lasted. It takes a familiar experience and describes it in an unexpectedly blunt way.

Quote of the day: Where did the famous definition come from?

The line comes from Bierce’s famous satirical dictionary, The Cynic’s Word Book, which was first published in book form in 1906. The work was later expanded and issued under the much better-known title The Devil’s Dictionary in 1911.

The definitions in the book were not written like normal dictionary entries. Bierce used familiar words as an opportunity to make jokes, criticise social behaviour and expose what he saw as contradictions in everyday life. Love, marriage, politics, religion and other subjects all became targets of his dry and often harsh humour.

The definitions had their roots in Bierce’s newspaper and magazine writing. He had been producing these kinds of satirical entries in columns for years, beginning in the late 19th century. The pieces appeared in publications in which he worked as a journalist and editor, particularly during his long career in San Francisco.

That background is important when looking at the love quote. It was not written as a serious essay about marriage. Bierce was working within a style built around short definitions, wordplay and irony. The humour comes partly from taking the familiar language of a dictionary and using it to say something completely different from what readers expect.

Ambrose Bierce was much more than a satirist

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on June 24, 1842, in Meigs County, Ohio. He was the tenth of 13 children in a poor family. His parents, Marcus Aurelius Bierce and Laura Sherwood Bierce, had a strong interest in books, and reading became an important part of his early life.

The family later moved to Indiana, where Bierce spent much of his childhood. His upbringing was difficult, and his relationship with his family and religion was complicated. He eventually rejected the religious beliefs in which he had been raised.

At 15, Bierce left home and began working as a printer’s apprentice, commonly described as a “printer’s devil”. The job exposed him to newspapers and the world of publishing at a young age. He would later build much of his career around journalism, editing and writing.

His early attempts at getting published were not always successful. Like many writers, he faced rejection, but the newspaper trade gave him an opportunity to develop the concise and forceful writing style that would later become one of his trademarks.

His life changed during the American Civil War

Bierce’s career was interrupted by the American Civil War. He joined the Union Army and served with the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment.

He saw combat during several major operations. At the Battle of Rich Mountain in 1861, he reportedly risked his own life to rescue a seriously wounded soldier while under enemy fire. The act brought him attention and contributed to his advancement within the army.

Bierce later served as a topographical engineer, helping military officers with maps and battlefield information. He also fought at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.

The war left a deep impression on him and later became an important source for his fiction. His experiences gave him firsthand knowledge of combat, fear, injury and death, subjects that appeared repeatedly in his stories.

In 1864, Bierce suffered a serious head wound at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. After recovering, he returned to military service before leaving the army toward the end of the Civil War.

His wartime experiences would eventually contribute to one of his most important collections, Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, published in 1891. The collection included his famous story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, which remains one of his best-known works.

San Francisco became the centre of his writing career

After his military career, Bierce moved toward journalism and publishing. He eventually settled in San Francisco, where he became an important figure in the city's newspaper and literary world.

He worked for several publications, including The San Francisco News Letter, The Argonaut, Overland Monthly, The Californian and The Wasp. His writing was often controversial because he was willing to attack people, institutions and popular opinions.

In 1887, Bierce began writing a column for the San Francisco Examiner, becoming one of the early regular writers associated with William Randolph Hearst's newspaper operation. His relationship with Hearst's publications continued for many years.

Bierce developed a reputation for being difficult to edit because he cared strongly about his writing and did not like having his work changed. At the same time, his sharp style made him valuable to newspapers. Readers knew what they were getting from a Bierce column, even when they did not agree with him.

His journalism also helped shape the style that later appeared in The Devil’s Dictionary. He could take a common word or familiar idea and turn it into a compact joke with a darker point underneath.

His personal life was marked by tragedy

Bierce married Mary Ellen Day, also known as Molly, on Christmas Day in 1871. They had two sons, Day and Leigh.

The marriage later broke down. In 1888, Bierce discovered letters to his wife from another man, leading to their separation.

A year later, Bierce suffered another major personal tragedy when his son Day died by suicide after a romantic rejection and a period of depression.

These events formed part of a difficult period in Bierce's life. His writing had already been dark and cynical, but his personal experiences added another layer to the themes of loss, death and human suffering that appeared throughout his work.

It is important, however, not to reduce all of Bierce's writing to his personal tragedies. He was already an established satirist and journalist with a strong interest in human behaviour, politics and language.